The answer to that question is pretty complex --- and part of it comes down to expecting her to act in ways that her generation generally does not...
I wanted her to be a uniter. She needed too entice those of us on the edge of the Democratic party that the party is interested in our issues. To convince us that it isn't going to be politics as usual, and to give the other side credit for being non-evil. The thing about those of us on the edge are on that edge because we are attracted to something on the other side.... we have a suspicion that the Republicans could be right about some things, so being told that THOSE people over there are really, really bad says that I'm also kind of bad by association.
I wanted her to not do whatever she needed to do in order to win. Calling names, playing games with which votes "count" and which don't was kind of the last straw. I want a President who will make the best decisions, not one who is just out to WIN. I've had enough of the attitude that the US is THE BEST -- I want us to act on principle, not to just be competitive...
I wanted to vote for more than her as a woman -- NOT being GW Bush isn't enough. I needed to see a vision of the future with her as our President. I've worked with and for enough second-wave feminists to know that just BEING a woman isn't enough to make you a good person who makes good decisions. I wanted to see how she wanted the country to look as her President.... what I got was a message that I needed to vote for her because of her gender, and if I didn't I was setting feminism back 50 years.
In so many ways I'm sad that we didn't nominate a woman this year. Obama is an amazing politician with an attractive vision. He's also NOT a Boomer -- which is more important to me than his gender... which probably means that I trust my generation more than I trust my gender. I'd like to see him ask a woman to be his VP... a moderate Boomer or a member of Gen X would be great -- because then she'd be set up to run in 2016...
And as for the women who are throwing temper tantrums because Hilary isn't getting the nomination -- and threatening to vote for McCain to spite us -- f-you. Really, I don't say that lightly, and many have said it more elegantly than I, but that kind of reaction is really childish and irrational. A true commitment to feminism can't end because the Democratic candidate is a man -- and, if y'all haven't noticed, McCain IS a man -- a white, old man.... at least Obama shares your values -- and he's hot, besides :).
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6 comments:
the thing is....Obama will be politics as usual. the fact that his rhetoric suggests otherwise doesn't mean a thing. in fact, the candidate for change is a pretty standard trope making it, again, politics as usual.
pf: i agree with your points. i hate that we're the best BS. and anastasia, i want to have some hope that obama will not be politics as usual.
http://spritopias.typepad.com/urban_oasis/ is where I write about Politics and so is http://politicsreligion.wordpress.com/, I normally don't pimp my blogs or ones I contribute to but I want you to vote against me at every opportunity.
You make a lot of good points, as per usual. I would ad on the gender issue (step lightly, Spritopias) that my co-worker Debbie said she wasn't voting for Clinton and one of the reasons was that she went out of her way to fulfill every negative stereotype about women and live up to the caricature of her devised by the right.
Also, as someone who lived in Connecticut I look to Ella Grasso and think, "there was a woman elected Governor without being someone's wife or daughter." That's what I want for our first woman president because I found it absurd that Hillary was carrying the feminist banner as she ran as a former first lady. Anyone can say anything they want about it but her claim to fame is being someone's Mrs. Yes, I know she is an able, smart human being who would already be President on her own without her husband but this is the path she took.
Also, I think Dubya has reminded us that being someone's family member is a bad recommendation for any job.
What do you think about the fact that if Obama is the first African American president that he would also NOT be descendent of slaves?
I appreciate you post. This is well written and well said. It encompasses what I've been feeling for quite some time about the political climate. I'm linking it up over at my place! Thanks for a great post.
Stopped by from the link over at the Professor's place. I'd have to agree with you on Clinton. We shouldn't vote based on gender or race. It has to be on principles and the person's vision for our country. I just wasn't getting that from her. I would have *loved* to see a woman as president but not like this. Clinton did, however, pave the way for future woman candidates but the future candidates need to be better.
Voting for a woman on the basis of her gender would fly in the face of what equal rights movements said they were fighting for, equality. If we've voting on demographic niche we have much to rethink.
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